Thorough Comprehension of Life(9)
達生(九)
1 Confucius toured in the waterfall area of Luliang. The fall was thirty rens (a kind of length unit). The powerful current stirred by the waterfall is forty li in length. The torrent is so strong that even the fish was difficult to live in this river.
孔子到呂梁瀑布去遊覽，只見此瀑布落差有30仞，因為此瀑布而激起的湍流則共約40裡長。在這段洶湧的水域裡，就是水中生物也都難以生存。
孔子觀於呂梁，縣水三十仞，流沫四十里，黿鼉魚鱉之所不能游也。
2 When Confucius as well as his disciples was charmed by the natural masterpiece, they found a man floating up and down in the river. Thinking that the man committed suicide, Confucius immediately asked his disciples to run along the river for saving him.
正當孔子與弟子們在觀看此天險，看得入神之際，他們突然發現，有一個人在水裡載浮載沉; 孔子以為是有人看不開想在此自殺，當即吩咐其弟子沿河奔走，設法營救。
見一丈夫游之，以為有苦而欲死也。使弟子並流而拯之。
3 After running hundreds of steps, they suddenly saw the man with hair disheveled sticking out from the water and swimming back to the bank. Obviously, the man was swimming here, which amazed Confucius.
弟子們奔跑了幾百步後，突然看見這人披頭散發地自水中冒出來，神情泰然地游回岸邊。很顯然地，此君是在此波濤洶涌的河中游泳而非自殺。孔子見了，大感驚訝。
數百步而出，被髮行歌而游於塘下。
4 He walked up to asked the swimmer, “You dishevel your hair and swim in such an atrocious river which even the fish scare. At first, I think you are a dead body; to my surprise, you are a living man. You can swim in this flow. Thus your skill of swimming must be supreme. How do you learn it?”
他走過去，問此泳者︰「我看你披頭散發地，在這兇惡得連魚兒都絕跡的水中載浮載沉，初時還以為是一具死尸呢？沒想到你竟是個活生生的人。你能在這麼驚險的水域中游泳，想必泳技是高超到了極點了，就不知，你這身本事是如何學得的？」
孔子從而問焉，曰：「吾以子為鬼，察子則人也。請問：蹈水有道乎？」
5 The guy said unconcernedly, “It is no more than swim. There is no great theory. I started by doing what I used to, gradually grew accustomed to it, and finally followed the fate. When meeting the whirlpool, I sink down with it. Whirlpool goes the bottom and then spouts out from other direction. I take the time to follow it. As long as you follow the current without resistance to flow, and take it easy, it is easy to swim in the river. If I have to say the way, the said it is.”
這位仁兄漫不經心地回答道︰「也不過是游泳罷了，這當中並沒有什麼特別的大道理。我秉持“始乎故，長乎性，成乎命” 的原則，在游泳時，一碰到漩渦就跟著漩渦沉下去; 當漩渦旋轉到了底，自然會從另一個方向湧出來，這時我也不慌不忙地，跟著河水湧出水面。只要順著水勢，隨著水性游，不要抗拒它，不要緊張，也不要自以為是的與水流對抗; 那麼，在這條河裡游泳其實也沒什麼難的。 如果一定要說有什麼絕竅的話，那麼"始乎故，長乎性，成乎命"就是我唯一的方法了。」
曰：「亡，吾無道。吾始乎故，長乎性，成乎命。與齊俱入，與汩偕出，從水之道而不為私焉。此吾所以蹈之也。」
6 Confucius asked, “What does the said means? I can’t catch it. Could you make it clearer?”
孔子說：「什麼是你說的 “始乎故，長乎性，成乎命”? 我聽不懂。你是否可以進一步說清楚些。」
孔子曰：「何謂始乎故，長乎性，成乎命？」
7 The swimmer answered, “I live on land and accustom myself to the living, which is what I am accustomed to.
這位泳者回答說︰「我生長在陸地上，因此而安於陸地上的生活，這就是”故” 。
8 I grow up by the riverside and stay with water every day. Naturally I have the skill of swimming by practice, which is what I obtain.
而當我生長在河邊，每天與水為伍時，自然會練得一身的泳技，這就是所謂的 ”性”。
9 Living on land and playing in water for years; I just follow my nature and live on the skill of swimming by practice. I never study why I live so, why I swim so, why I marry and have kids, why I bring up kids, why I sit in meditation, why I eat and why I sleep.
在陸地上生活了這麼多年，在水中遊戲了這麼多年; 我只是隨著天性，以及後天習得的技能過日子，從來不去研究，為什麼我會這樣的過著日子？為什麼我這樣子游泳？為什麼我要結婚生子？為什麼要養育孩子？為什麼要禪坐默想？為什麼要吃東西？為什麼要睡覺？
10 To all these things, I don’t know why. I just do it in silence and in time. Do my utmost to do it well.
所有這些事，我都不問為什麼，而只默默地在做，定時的去做，盡心盡力的做好。
11 In this water, when meeting whirlpool, I follow it to sink down and to float up. Life is so. It is said that there is a best one in every industry. Whatever the environment is and whatever the fortune is, if only I happen to live in them, I am sound, tranquil and peaceful to get along with them. I manage to arrange properly every detail of life, being a good beggar, a good civil servant, a good worker, a good businessman or even a good retired man. I don’t blame why I have the befalling and I don’t complain about the heaven and other people. This is the essence of followed the fate.
當我在此水域中游泳時，只要一碰到漩渦，我就緊跟著漩渦而沉下去，然後再跟著急流涌出水面。生活中也是這樣，所以有人說，行行出狀元; 不論是什麼環境，什麼際遇，我只要樂天知命的安於其中，就能享有沉穩，安寧，祥和的生活; 並設法在這樣的時空中，妥當地安排好生活中的每一個細節。做一個好乞丐、做一個好公務員、做一個好工人、生意人甚至退休人員。我不會心生不滿，覺得自己為什麼會有這樣或那樣與眾不同的遭遇; 更不會怨天尤人，說東道西。我只是設法過好每一天，做好身旁的每一件事而已。 這就是 ”成乎命” 的真諦。」
曰：「吾生於陵而安於陵，故也；長於水而安於水，性也；不知吾所以然而然，命也。」